P0A08 and I have to pee! Can I drive at all?

Discussion in 'Prius v Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by PriusPaddler, Jun 30, 2026 at 2:12 PM.

  1. PriusPaddler

    PriusPaddler Member

    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2017
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    Location:
    Twin Cities, MN
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    Hope you all had a nice 4th...

    Car still in the shop as they had a long weekend too.

    Theory on air conditioning now:

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    The AC is stopping at idle because it is too hot, which makes the pressure in the system too high. That is monitored and causes the system to just shut off. It is probably a combination of factors. Slightly unpure refrigerant, slightly overcharged [a/c], blocked radiator and condenser fins, and the foam pipe insulation protecting the lower grille that is blocking air flow.
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    Great point that my pipe insulation from winter is still on!!! That is certainly on me. Duh.

    They discharged a little bit of refrigerant. I can easily take off the pipe insulation. They want $225 to clean radiator/condenser fins. Worth it?

    Anything not sound logical? Could the pipe insulation be the actual root cause of the overheat? I am berating myself for not even remotely thinking of it.
     
  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
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    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    While gen 1 and gen 2 had a simple refrigerant pressure switch, gen 3 (and, I'll go ahead and assume, Prius v) has an actual high-side pressure transducer that the A/C amplifier reads.

    Which means if you have a suitable scan tool, you can watch what happens to the actual pressure.